Roasting-furnace.



U. WED GE.

ROASTING FURNAGB.

APPLIOATION IIILED FEB. 24,1909.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UTLEY WEDGE, OF ABDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

noAsrInG-ronnncn.

Speciilcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

Application led February 24, 1909. Serial No. M9336- To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, UrrLEY WEDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Roasting Furnaces, of which the following is a sp cation.

My invention relates to that class of roasting Y or likeifurnaces which h v 'su erposed verse section and partly in elevation, of a hearths, and a central shaft provi ed with arms carrying stirring and feedingXblad-es': or rabbles disposed in the diiferefitgworkin'gf chambers, the` ore or-other V:in aterial"to 'be' treated (hereinafter, for convenience, re ferred to as ore) being fed intoA the--fur' nace at the top and, after beingl properly:

treated in its'passag'e through the-furnace being discharged from the bottom.l

The objectof my invention is to provide forthe proper `feeding of the ore'without permitting any escape of the gases at the top of the furnace. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter 'set forth, reference being had totheaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly in vertical transfurnace constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of said furnace; Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line a-a, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of part of the furnace structure; Fig. 5 is a simllar view illustrating a somewhat different construction from that shown in Fig. 4;' and Fig. 6 is a view similar to the upper part of Fig. 1, but illustrating another embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings, 1 represents the outer wall of the furnace, 2 the hearths, and 3 the arches of the successive working chambers and 4' the central hollow shaft carrying the radial arms 5 which project into the working chambers andY are intended to .carry stirring and feeding blades or rabbles, not shown in the d-rawing, whereby the material delivered into the upper working chamber is caused to travel therefrom through the successive chambers below, the various chambers being in communication with onej another through passages 6. l

Secured to the outside of the shaft 4 are' angular bars 7 upon which are supported the refractory blocks 9 ,whereby said shaft is protected Yfrom .the heat o'f the furnace, the bars 7 having ribs or flanges 10 upon,

vtions of the hein-the"A 2 of 'ing chambers ,ofxthe furnace are' provided their horizontal members which ribs or flanges are contained in grooves or recesses in adjoining faces 'of the blocks 9, as shown in Fig. 1, so that while said blocks are both supported vertically upon Land conlined radially to the shaft 4, no part of any of the bars Tis exposed directly to the heat of \the-fu)nace, the burning out .of said bars beingthereby prevented and11 the necessity "for their .relatively/frequent renewal being fnyercome 'l .The tiles'll which, sup ort thelinner portiie respective vweikf with vertical flanges' 12 .which project above the level of the hearth and thereby tend ftp; prevent the o're .on any hearth of "thefurn'ace from gainingaccess to the annulars yace between the tiles 1l and the protecting. flocks 9 which surround the .rotating shaft 4, and certain of thelatter 'blocks have outwardly projecting beveled fl ange's.-l3, whereby, if any o rtionof the ore upon either hearth of the" furnace does ind its way to the space between the tiles 11 and the protecting blocks 9, it will, after falling through said space, be deflected by the beveled flange 13 into'the working chamber below that from which it has escaped and will therefore be prevented from finding its way into the final or finishing kchamber of the furnace, consequently there will be no admixture of raw or partially treated ore with the :finishedl ore in said final chamber.

' In order to prevent access of air to th working chambers around the lower end of the central shaft of the furnace said shaft is provided with an annular trou h 14 preferablyformed in one piece with t e'lowermost angle bar 7 which supports therefractory casing of the shaft and into this trough dips adepending flange 15 on the metallic deflector 12a with which the inner portion of the lowermost hearth 2 of the furnace is rovided. The trough -14 is normally lled with water up to a level above the bottom of the flange 15 so as to seal said ange and prevent the flow of air inwardly past the same, water being supplied to the trough in /any available way, as, for instance, by the ico or more overflow pipes 17 through which it is discharged into an annular gutter. 19,v

communicating with a sewer pipe 2U.

The previously described features of construction of the furnace are not herein claimed as they form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent.

'lhe roof of the furnace constitutes a storage bed and heater or drier for the green ore, said roof being, by preference, composed of an outer bed 21 and an inner bed 22, the latter being at a lower level thantlie outer bed, and providing` a passage 23 around the refractory casing of the shaft 4, through which passage tne ore may be fed into the uppermost chamber of the furnace.

Secured t0 the upper end of the shaft 4 isv a transverse beam 24 which projects outwardly over the roof of the furnace, said beam having, at each end, bearings for a rock shaft zo which has projecting arms 26 carrying a bar 27 with depending blades or 'rabbles 29, the latter acting upon the mass of green ore lying upon the outer bed 2l of the roof of the furnace and serving to stir said mass of ore and also to gradually feed the same inwardly onto the lower bed 22 of the roof, the bar 27 for the latter purpose being slightly inclined in respect to a radial line, as shown in Fig. 2. 'l lie rabbles 29 simply trail along on the top of the mass of ore on the bed 2l of the furnace roof, being held in contact with the same only by their weight and being free to rise when they' meet with any obstruction which opposes undue resistance to their forward movement.

Mounted on the shaft 4 below `the trans verse beam 24 is an annular plate 30 with depending edge iange 31, the latter pro]ec t ing into the mass of powdered ore upon .the inner bed 22 of the furnace roof andbeing luted thereby so as to prevent any escape of gas around the shaft 4 at the top of the furnace. At one orvmore points the flange 31 is cut away so as to provide an opening 31l through which ore can be fed fromA outside to inside of the flange, said feeding of the ore being effected by suitable depending blades or rabbles 32 rigidly secured to the transverse beam 24, as shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted upon the annular plate 30 isa box 33 in which is vertically guided a blade' 34, this blade being adjustable vertically in the box 33 and secured in position after adjustment by set screws 35 or other suitable means, the lower portion of the blade projecting below the plate 30 and acting'upon the mass of ore upon the inner bed 22 so as to feed the same into the space 23 surrounding the upper portion of the shaft casing from which it passes into the up er chamber of the furnace, the blade 34 being disposed at the proper angle to effect such feeding of the ore, and the volume of feed being determined by the vertical adjustment of an external ore-lated feeding the blade, so as to cause it to extend to any desiredidepth into the mass of ore lying on the bed 22. The upper portion of the box 33 'is' hopper-shaped and contains luting material l3 (see liig.l 3) for preventingany escape `of gas alongside of the blade 34.

Instead of providing feeding blades or rabbles 32 for forcing the ore through openings in the flange 31,'the'ore'may be permitted to flow by gravity through ysuch opening or openings as shown, for instance, in Fig. 5, or the openings may be dispensed with altogether and the blade 34 may only act upon the ore which flows in under the edge of the iiange 31.'

the ore may, if desired, be fed bythe rabbles 29 from a storage bed -onto a delivering l bed mounted upon and rotating with the shaft 4, as shown for instance .in F ig. 6, the delivery bed, in the latter case, consisting of an annular plate 22, secured to the shaft and the blade 34 being mounted upon the under side of a .plate 21a which constitutes the storage bed, but being, by preference, adjustable from and toward the shaft 4 by means of a rod 40 so as to cause it to project more or less into the mass of ore deposited by the rabbles 29 upon the inner portion of the bed 22a and thereby regulate the volume of ore which'is being fed into the furnace. In the structure shown in Fig. 6 the luting of the `joint between-the lrotati and nonrotating members 'of the furnace is effected without the formation of a ange as in the structure shown in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. The combination of the fixed structure of a furnace, a rotating shaft' therein, and an external ore-lated feeding device having, as an element, a plate carried by said rotating shaft.

2. The combination of the fixed structure of a'furnace, a rotating-shaft therein, and an ore-luted feeding device having, as an element, a plate carried by said rotating' shaft, and embedded in the mass ofore.'

' 3. The combination of the fixed structure ofa furnace, a rotating'shaft therein, and device having, as elements, a late carried y said rotating shaft, means or removing portions ofthe mass of ore which forms the lute, and means for replenishing the same.

4. The combination of the fixed lstructure of a fur acefai rotating shaft therein, and. an ore-l ted 'feeding device having, as elements, a plate carried by said rotating shaft, meansr for removing portions of the mass of ore which forms the lute, and feeding them into the furnace through a roof opening surrounding the shaft, and means for replenishing the mass of ore which forms the lute.

5, The combination of the fixed structure of a furnace, a rotating shaft therein, and

of ore which forms the lute and feed them f into the furnace through a roof opening surrounding the shaft, and means for replenishing the mass of ore which forms the lute.

6. The combination of the iXed structure of the furnace, a rotating shaft therein, and an ore-luted feeding device having, as elements, a platecarried by said rotating shaft and embedded in the mass of ore, a feeding, device mounted' upon said plate and serving to remove poi-tions of the mass of orewhich forms the lute anl feed them into the furnace through a r fi opening surrounding the shaft, andA means for replenishingthe ,massfef ore .which torina the lute.

flthe 5combination' 'a ftnmiacehaving' a1 roofwithfan ore storing"andi-.fdry K thereon', and a bedifxvhich f receiv'esg tlife,Soreh roinisaid sterage bediend deliaers'it tof-the urnace.

l8. The combination of the fired structln'e.

of a furnacehaving;aaprof' withy an'ore storing and drying b edfthereon, and :1p-bed` vfata lower level thanfsa'id storage bediliutA nreceivingfthe orewfroni ythe latter and deliv; lering-it t the furnace.V

The combination o f thanked structure offav furnace havinga roof Withan ore storing and drying bed thereon, abcd for ref,

ceiving'y the ore from. said storage bed and deli-vering it to the furnace, means for conveying the ore from the storage bed to the delivery bed, and means forcconveying the ore from said delivery bed to atreating chamber of the furnace.

10. The combination of the xed structure of a furnace having a roof With an ore -storing and drying bed thereon, an ore delivery bed at a loWer level than said storage bed, means forconveying the ore from the storage bed to the delivery bed, and means for conveying the ore from said delivery bed to a treating chamber of the furnace.

11. The combination of a furnace having ore storing and delivery beds at the top of the furnace, means for directing the ore from said delivery bed lto a Working chamber of the furnace, and means whereby `the body of ore is caused to form a lute for preventing escape of gas at the top of the furnace.

12. The combination of the fined struc-I ture of a furnace, a central rotating shaft therein having a feed opening around the same, and a'luted ore-feeding deviceat the top of the furnace which prevents escape of gas around said rotating shaft.

13. The combination of the fixed structure of a furnace, a rotating shaft therein ore-feeding blade carried by said y ore-feeding devices outside of said plate forV having a feed opening around the same, an ore-feeding device at the top of the furnace, and means whereby a body of ore stored upon the roof of the furnace is-caused to Alute said feeding device against the escape vof gas around said rotatin shaft.

. lluThe combination o the fixed structure of a furnace, a. rotating shaft therein, and a plate'carrying a blade for feeding into the upper Working chamber of the furnace, a. mass of ore lying Tupon a bed at the top of the furnace, said plate having a portion embedded in said mass of ore, which thus acts as a lute to prevent the escape of gas at thetop of the furnace. y

15. Thecdmbination of thie fixed .structure of a furnacefarotating shaft therein, a

plate having a depending fiange embedded in a Amass of ore at the, top of .thefurnacm and an oreeteeding blade earriedbysaid VAin the inass-e'fforeat the topa@ the furnace,

and." 'anf Gre-feeding blade,y carrieid .byf said plate, y iiange' having anw-,opening -.therein to/permit 'flow ofthe creto; the space bena'tli thev plate.

,17.ifThe" combination of the fixed' struc.`

ture-of affnrnae'e, arotatin 'jshaft therein," fa plate having aldepending ange embedded in the mass/of ore atthe top of the furnace, and having ano ening therein, anore-feeding blade carrie by said plate,and means outside `of the. iange for feeding the ore through the opennig"I therein.

18. The combination of thexed structure of a' furnace, a rotating shaft therein, an ore delivery bed :va'tf Athe top of the furnace, a plate adaptedv to co erate with the mass of ore on said bed. to crm a lute for preventing escape of gas at the top of the furnace, an Iore-feeding blade carried by said plate, and ore-feedin devicesy outside of the plate for feeding t e ore to the delivery bed. K

19. @he combination of'the fixed structure of a furnace, a rotating shaft therein, an ore delivery bed plate adapted to coperate with the mass of ore on said bed to form a lute for reventing escape of gas at the top of the fiirna'ce, an plate, and

feeding the ore to thev delivery bed, said ore feeding devices being free to rise and fall as they travel overthe mass of ore.

20. The combination of the iiXed structure of a furnace, a rotating shaft therein, an ore delivery bed at the top of the furnace, a plate adapted to coperate with the mass of ore on saidbed to form a lute for preventin escape of gas, an ore-feeding blade carrie atv the top of the furnace, a.

by said plate, and ore-feeding devices outside vof said plate, some of said ore feeding devices being yielding and others rigid.

21. The combination of the fixed structure Aof a furnace, havin a roof with outer bed 515 Ithe mass of ore on the inner bed, a lute for 'preventing the escape of gas, an ore-feeding lade carried by'said plate and ore-feeding blades adapted to 'act upon the mass of ore on the elevated 'outer bed.

' 23. The combination of the fixed structure of'a furnace, having a roof with outer bed on a higher plane than an inner bed, a rotating shaft, a plate adapted to form, with the mass of ore on the inner bed, a lute for reventing the escape of gas, an ore-feeding lade carried by said plate, ore-feeding" blades adapted to act upon `the mass of ore on the` elevated outer bed,and an ore-feeding blade acting on the ore on the lower bed, and servin to feed said oreinto position to be engage by the feeding blade which is mounted on the luting plate.

24. The combination of the fixed structure of the furnace having a roof with orede- 'livery bed thereon, a rotating shaft, and a plate carried by said shaft and luted by the mass of ore on the delivery bed, said plate carrying a blade which feeds the ore from the delivery bed into the furnace. v

25. The combination of the fixed structure of the furnace havin a. roof 'with ore storage and delivery b s thereon, a rotatin shaft, a plate carried by said shaft, an luted by the mass of ore, a blade carried by said plate and serving to feed the ore from the delivery bed into the furnace, and means also carried by the rotating shaft for conveying the ore fromlthe storage bed to the ldelivery bed.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

UTLEY WEDGE. Witnesses:

HAMILTON D. TURNER, KATE A. BEADLE. 

